


We'll Go From There

by JadelynTate



Series: Darcy Eppes-Granger [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Numb3rs, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Clint Barton & Darcy Lewis Friendship, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Darcy Lewis & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Darcy Lewis & Thor Friendship, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 19:37:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14244300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadelynTate/pseuds/JadelynTate
Summary: Steve (and Bruce and Tony) meet Darcy, Colby, and Don after the Battle of Manhattan.





	We'll Go From There

Steve was walking through the New York SHIELD office when he overheard Thor. 

Well, overheard wasn’t entirely accurate, since Thor was shouting loud enough to be heard on the other side of the building, but the point was the same. 

“I will see that Jane and Darcy are safe!” the thunder god said, sounding pissed. “Where are they?!” 

Wondering if he’d have to step in, Steve walked into the room Thor’s voice was coming from. He found the entire team leaning up against the wall by the door, even Banner, watching as Thor faced off against a pinch-faced Agent Hill. 

“What’s going on?” he asked quietly, settling in against Banner. The other man slid a glance at him before he focused back on the spectacle in front of him. 

“Apparently Thor’s girlfriend and her assistant were sent away at the beginning of this,” Banner answered. He sounded wistful when he added, “He’s been demanding for close to an hour for someone to tell him if they’re safe. He doesn’t want to leave until he knows it for sure.” 

“They sent Dr. Foster to Tromso,” Romanoff added. When he glanced at her, her expression flickered a moment before smoothing out. “Specifically, _Coulson_ sent her to Norway. Darcy, he sent home to her family in LA. He didn’t want them together in case Loki managed to locate them.” 

“Which means the FBI has probably already closed ranks around her,” Barton said from Banner’s other side. He sounded amused.

“The FBI is protecting Dr. Foster?” Steve asked, confused. 

“No, they’re probably protecting Darcy Lewis, her assistant,” Barton corrected him as the door nearby opened and a new agent came in with two men and a tiny, curvy brunette in glasses. The archer visibly brightened as something in Romanoff relaxed. Steve and Banner both side-eyed her but she didn’t otherwise react. 

“Why would the FBI be protecting this Lewis chick?” Stark asked, looking intrigued when Steve’s eyes flickered over to him. 

“Because they’re overprotective SOBS when they decide you’re one of them,” the new woman said, having clearly overheard Stark’s question. She seemed amused, though the two men in civilian attire with her were definitely not. He watched the woman eye Thor a moment before shaking her head and sighing. 

“Dude, chill, I’m here!” she called and Thor spun around quickly, eyes landing on her and a joyous and relief-filled smile taking over his face. 

“Lady Darcy!” he boomed and she stepped forward to accept her hug with grace and equal enthusiasm. “It is good to see you are well! I have been trying for some time to ascertain your whereabouts and well-being.” 

“I can see that,” she drawled from where she was still squished by Thor’s armor. She finally stepped away. “And don’t worry about Jane, I talked to her about ten minutes ago, she’s on a plane and should be here in a couple more hours to yell at you in person about being gone so long.” 

The utter relief the god exuded was enough to cement Steve’s opinion that he would be fine. Then Thor seemed to notice the two men standing awkwardly behind Lewis. He frowned a moment, taking them in, before he seemed to figure out who they were.

“Are these your husband and brother?” he asked, sounding delighted. All three newcomers looked startled. 

“How’d you know about them?” Lewis demanded, hands going to her hips as she stared up at him. It put Steve in mind of Bucky’s German Shepherd being chased up the fire escape by the neighborhood Maltese when they were twelve. His lips twitched. 

Thor looked abashed and fidgeted a moment before he finally sighed. “I asked Heimdall to report on your wellbeing, as he did Jane’s,” he admitted. “He told me of your elder brothers, the warrior and the scholar, as well as your husband.”

Darcy looked back at the two men, a wicked grin on her face. Neither looked like they knew what to think. A quick glance told him Barton was snickering and even Romanoff had a brief smirk on her face. 

“Remind me to tell Charlie about this,” Lewis informed them. 

“I thought you stopped trying to break Chuck’s brain,” the one said with a resigned sigh. He had black hair cut short, warm brown eyes, and the way he held himself told Steve this was a man used to being in danger. An agent, he decided, possibly FBI given what the others had said. Also definitely her brother, given the startling similarities in their appearance. The sandy-haired man had the same aura but his was a bit different, more rigorously trained—military maybe?

“Naw, I just got more subtle about it,” Lewis said as Steve did his appraisal. She grinned and waved at both men, motioning first to the man who’d spoken then to the sandy-haired guy next to him. “Anyway, Thor, this is Don Eppes, my oldest brother, and Colby Granger, my hubby. Both of them are FBI…What did Heimdall say about Colb?” 

“That he was a strong protector and as good a match for you as any he has seen,” Thor replied promptly. He smiled down at the woman fondly. “For which I am grateful—I have long suspected my lightning sister needs all the protectors she can get.” 

“Hey!” Lewis exclaimed, looking outraged, as Eppes, Granger, Barton, Romanoff, and even Hill all snickered. 

“Thor’s not wrong,” Barton said. “Didn’t you meet him when you hit him with your van?” 

“That was Jane’s fault, she grabbed the wheel when I was trying to get away from the sudden tornado that appeared in our way,” she said immediately as Stark guffawed in between Barton and Banner. Thor was amused as he crossed his arms. Then Darcy paused before her eyes narrowed on the archer. “Also, you are in so much trouble, Clinton.” 

“I wasn’t exactly in my right mind and we’ll talk about it later,” the archer said instantly, obviously knowing what she was talking about. To Granger, he added, “You did a good job keeping her busy and protected. Thank you.” 

“Coulson seemed pretty insistent when he said she wasn’t allowed to be alone,” he shrugged and seemingly ignoring the dark looks his brother-in-law and wife were now sending him. Steve got the feeling neither one had been aware Granger had spoken to Coulson. The man’s expression hardened slightly as he wrapped an arm around his wife. “Speaking of, where is he? I have a few choice words for him about not letting us know exactly why he sent Darcy home to us.” 

And just like that, the humorous atmosphere in the room dropped. Steve’s jaw tightened, Banner and Stark both tensed up, and Thor looked like someone had kicked his puppy. 

“Coulson’s gone,” Barton finally said, looking not at Granger but at Lewis. “Loki killed him.” 

Steve looked up just in time to see the brunette close her eyes, grief covering her face as Eppes and Granger closed ranks around her. Barton caught his eyes then and jerked his head, silently asking Steve to take everyone out of the room. He nodded back, already tugging on Banner, who in turn grabbed Stark. Even Thor left, looking dejected as Hill firmly closed the door behind her, leaving the three alone with Barton and Romanoff. 

“What was that about?” Stark asked. He didn’t appear all that thrilled about being kicked out. 

“Coulson and Darcy became good friends when he was stationed in New Mexico when Thor first touched down,” Hill answered after a moment. “And Barton and Romanoff were both assigned to protect Dr. Foster, Darcy, and Dr. Selvig for a time.” 

“Agent Granger seemed to know Barton,” Banner noted and Steve watched as Hill sighed. 

“They served together in Afghanistan, years ago,” she nodded and Steve nodded to himself—military, he was right. “And Agent Granger spent two years as a triple agent working to uncover a leak in the DOJ. When he realized Darcy was married to his old friend and what Granger had to do and go through, Barton reached out. It’s part of why Coulson and Fury decided to send Darcy home and contact Granger to let him know. She’s been targeted before due to her connections and they could keep an eye on her while we dealt with Loki.” 

“There were a few others informed, were they not?” Thor asked, frowning. “Coulson said something about additional men being sent to Los Angeles when I inquired.” 

“The rest of Granger and Barton’s team from the Army,” Hill nodded. “Several of their team have ended up in specialized programs. When they heard the wife of one was in danger, they volunteered to take leave in California. I’m unsure if the Granger’s are aware. I should probably let their CO know things are okay now and they can stand down.” 

She quickly dismissed herself, striding away towards the elevator. That left Thor, Stark, Banner, and Steve standing outside of the conference room. 

“Anyone hungry?” Steve finally asked, figuring it would probably be a while before the five came out. 

“I could eat,” Banner agreed instantly. 

“Aye,” Thor added. “I am curious about the varied cuisine to be found here. I quite liked the shawarma.” 

“In that case, we can’t stay here,” Stark decided and pulled out his phone. “Let’s head back to the Tower, I can have food brought up there.” 

“A little bit of everything?” Steve asked, hopeful, and Stark smirked. 

“More like a lot of everything.” 

~~*~~

When the five finally came out and joined them at the Tower, Lewis’ were red-rimmed but otherwise she was seemingly okay. She immediately went over to where Thor was sitting and plopped down next to him, snuggling into his side. Her brother and husband seemed non-plussed, both finding seats after Barton nudged them. 

“So how you two know our spy twins?” Stark asked, motioning with his drink. Steve frowned, thinking that was a bit abrupt, before remembering who he was dealing with. And neither man seemed to be taking affront, both smirking slightly as they looked at Barton and Romanoff. 

“‘Spy twins?’” Granger asked, a delighted grin spreading across his face. Barton scowled. 

“Don’t even try it,” he warned him before turning to Eppes. “You either. I know what you’re like when you get on a tear.” 

From her spot next to a relaxed Thor, Lewis snorted. 

“And just think, you don’t have all the memories I do of big brother being an idiot when we were growing up,” she teased and Eppes scowled at his sister. 

“Why do you have different last names?” Banner suddenly asked, looking confused. Steve’s brow furrowed as he realized his teammate was right—she didn’t have any of their names, not even her husbands. _Had the future really changed that much?_

“Safety,” Eppes answered. He scowled. “I’ve made enemies in my time at the FBI.” 

“And for a while China was massively pissed with me,” Granger added dryly. 

“…China?” Steve inquired. 

“As in the country?” Banner asked, looking just as confused as Steve felt. 

“Granger got himself volunteered to spy on a spy for the Chinese,” Barton said easily. “We had a mole in the DOJ and knew it but not who. So Granger went looking.” 

“Nearly got me killed in the process,” Granger nodded. “But I had a good team to get me out of it.” 

Steve noticed Lewis was beaming while he brother was making a conplicated face as both pride and annoyance fought for dominance. Stark noticed it too, a slightly gleeful look crossing his face. 

“I take it you didn’t approve?” 

“He was on my team when he was doing it and we didn’t know,” Eppes finally said.

“Also he took offense that the man I chose to marry meant we had to carefully vet everyone to the wedding,” Lewis added with a smirk. “I honestly thought Dad would be the one to have a fit about that but no, it was Donald.” 

“I thought you two eloped?” Romanoff finally said, a small frown on her face. 

“That was Charlie,” Eppes corrected. “And that was just due to time restraints.” 

“It was beautiful though,” Lewis said as Stark suddenly started coughing over his coffee. 

“Wait, Charlie?” he asked when he could finally speak again. His eyes were bright, face excited as he looked eagerly between the siblings. “Eppes? As in Dr. Charles Eppes, math god?” 

“I will pay good money to see his reaction if you call him that to his face,” Lewis said instantly and Eppes, Granger, and Barton all burst out laughing. Romanoff looked amused too. Stark was practically vibrating at the confirmation as Banner looked pole-axed. 

Lewis looked at him then, catching his eye. “My brother is a literal bona fide math genius,” she informed him. “He finished high school at 13—” 

“We're five years apart and high school graduated together,” Eppes added.

“And he got his first doctorate before he could legally drink,” Lewis continued blithely. She sent her brother a commiserating look. “And his wife is almost as bad.” 

“Amita was in her late twenties when she got her first doctorate,” Eppes nodded. “Worked out for Edi, though, cause it meant she knew how to handle a genius at work.”

“After Charlie, Amita, and Larry, Jane is a snap,” Lewis nodded in agreement. 

“Edi?” Steve asked, cause that was the only thing he didn’t understand. Well, and who Larry was but he figured that was another genius friend or family member. 

“My nickname for Darce,” Eppes said. 

Barton opened his mouth but before he could say anything Lewis beat him to it. “You try and I _will_ kick you,” she warned and the archer snapped his mouth shut. 

Through all this, Stark had been practically salivating so it didn’t surprise Steve much when he abruptly got up and went to kneel next to Lewis and Eppes. 

“I will pay off all your student loans, both of you, if you convince your brother to help me with some math for a project I’m working on in AI,” he told them earnestly. 

The siblings and Granger looked at each other. “That might be difficult,” Lewis finally told him. Stark looked mutinous but listened when she added, “They thought, once, that AI had been achieved. Amita nearly died.” 

“That also got her kidnapped later on by a religious nut,” Eppes added. “Cause she and Charlie proved the AI wasn’t actually AI.” 

“Who else was working on AI?” the genius demanded. 

“DARPA,” Lewis answered and Stark scoffed. “Yeah, that was about my reaction too.” 

“So if he were to meet a real AI…” 

“He’d be wary and skeptical…why?” 

Stark studied the siblings a minute before looking up at the ceiling. 

“I believe sir is referring to myself,” JARVIS said and Steve just managed to keep himself from jumping. The AI still managed to startle him when he’d suddenly pipe into conversations like this.

Eppes and Granger had immediately gone on alert but Lewis just looked at Stark. “You created an AI.” 

“He helps me control certain aspects of the suit,” he agreed. “He’s part of why none of the other projects managed to work quite so well as Ironman and War Machine.” 

“They’re calling him Iron Patriot now,” she said and Stark made a face. 

“War Machine,” he insisted and Lewis smirked before looking up at the ceiling. 

“Did Stark name you or…” 

“I was named after a Edwin Jarvis, a childhood friend of Sir’s,” JARVIS said. “Though he does like to say my name is an acronym of Just a Very Intelligent System.” 

“JARVIS it is,” she nodded. “Do you want to meet Charlie and Amita?” 

“Yes,” JARVIS said instantly. “Dr. Eppes research into cognitive emergence is fascinating to me, as I do not have a brain as others perceive it.” 

Lewis nodded and turned back to Stark. “I’ll talk to Charlie and Amita but I can’t guarantee anything.” 

“Amita is a computer coder though, so she might be willing to risk it,” Granger finally said. 

Eppes nodded, looking reluctant. “She does tend to take more risks than Chuck,” he agreed. 

Steve watched as Stark leaned back, looking positively gleeful. “I have a lot of toys those two would have fun with,” he said. 

Lewis snorted. “Candyland, we’d never get them out,” she sighed and Stark cackled as Banner chuckled. 

When the two genius’ calmed down, Lewis caught his eye and mouthed something. It took his brain a moment to realize it was “I’m sorry.” Just as he did, frowning, she turned to Barton and Romanoff with a wicked grin. 

“Did I ever tell you about Don’s extensive and rather obsessive Captain America collection back when he was twelve?” 

“Eleanor!” Eppes yelped as everyone but Steve burst out laughing. The agent ducked his head, cheeks red in embarrassment, as the atmosphere in the room, which had tightened at the conversation about JARVIS and the Eppes couple, finally lightened. 

The FBI agent finally looked up again, catching Steve’s eye. Part of him knew he shouldn’t do it, but the bigger part, the part that led to him lying on his enlistment forms and who’d always been a little shit, said he had to. 

In his best Captain America voice, he told the other man solemnly. 

“Nice to meet you, son.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to have a lot more inadvertent Don reacting to Steve & Darcy cackling about it but the characters refused to cooperate. *pouts*


End file.
